Later in the meeting, school board chairman
Tom Scozzafava
took issue with fellow school board member
David L. Lawson
, who is also a Republican, over his comments regarding a request from Mayor Pat Murphy.

The mayor wants the next town and school budgets to have the same format. According to the town charter, a mayor has authority to determine the manner in which the budget would be presented.

School officials said this week the mayor's request would require the school system to produce a 1,640-page budget book.

Most board members at the sub-committee meeting Tuesday were ready to comply with the mayor's request, but some suggested a meeting to discuss a compromise.

Dr. Diamond stopped Mr. McLaughlin after about four minutes of his presentation during the public session.

"We have a long agenda," she told him.

Remarking his points were valid, she asked Mr. McLaughlin to "just make points" and wrap up his comments in 30 seconds. The finance chairman, who was the only member of the public present to speak, cut short his comments.

The town government budget request is presented to officials each year showing a summary page for each department, and detailed pages with short narratives indicating the amounts budgeted in the past year, what has been spent to date, what is estimated to be spent and what is requested for each budget line, including salaries, supplies, and other expenses.

The 2004-2005 town government budget book requesting $31 million was 365 bound pages, with an additional 140-page back-up book with supplemental materials.

The school system has produced inch-thick books with budget requests in the past but last year reverted to a smaller document. The 2004-2005 school budget book asking for $48.9 million was less than 50 pages, although the system provided supplemental papers as requests for more information were made.

Last month, Mayor Murphy sent a letter to Interim Superintendent of Schools JeanAnn Paddyfote requesting the Board of Education prepare its 2005-2006 budget using the same format the town uses. She noted the school system and town use the same software.

During discussion of the mayor's request, Mr. Scozzafava, sitting in the audience, criticized fellow board member Mr. Lawson for saying "there will be no compromise" with the mayor's request about the format. Mr. Scozzafava called Mr. Lawson's statement "irresponsible."

He said the school board would work with the mayor's office and the finance department to see what they want.

Noting there had been no formal talks, he added, "This is not carved in stone."

Richard Calcavecchio
, the school system's director of fiscal services, said the school budget accounts are set up the way the system reports to the state. He said running off the document the mayor wants would not be difficult; it's the narrative that has to be typed in that is time consuming.

"Our goal is to get you folks the information you need to make management decisions,"
Tom Corbett
, the system's director of operations, said to board members.

Mr. Corbett said a condensed version of the format the mayor has asked for would be 300-400 pages long, but board members said the condensed version pulls the information together so they get a better view of the entire district.

Board member
Wendy Faulenbach
suggested the board should provide the information to the mayor in the format she wants and then for its own deliberations use the condensed version.

At the beginning of the operations meeting, Mr. McLaughlin told the subcommittee, "Nothing would please me more than to be able to support the budget that is forwarded to the mayor from the Board of Education."

He said a "boring budget season" would be welcome.

He disagrees with those who say the school board responsibility is to the students.

"I believe that the administration has a responsibility to the students," Mr. McLaughlin said. "You have a responsibility to the taxpayers to provide an excellent, fiscally responsible education for our students."

"The practice of budgeting as a percentage of the previous year's budget must go the way of the slide rule," said Mr. McLaughlin.

He called for zero-based budgeting in which each budget line is taken back to zero and every request justified.

He also wants to see a budget format that shows all revenue and expenses so taxpayers know the full cost of operating the schools.

As an example, the finance chairman said last year's budget did not indicate the $528,000 in revenue provided by the state for special education costs, but showed only expenses not covered by revenue.

Board members
Robin Ruggiero
and Bob Coppola support zero-based budgeting, but said it would take time and a decision on whether to go that route would need to be made soon.

Mr. Scozzafava said the mayor's request and zero-based budgeting, which he supports, involve money, manpower and materials the system does not have.

He agrees zero-based budgeting "is the only way to get a handle on the tiger out of control."

Dr. Diamond said everyone wants a smooth budget process but added the committee would need guidance from the administration.

Dr. Paddyfote suggested holding a meeting and asking for public input next month. She also recommended having administrators attend an operations meeting to explain their school needs, how the current budget is working and some of the problem areas.

School board member
Dian Marandola
asked for a budget cover sheet that would outline what it costs to run the system, the revenue received, and what the system is requesting.

Mr. Ruggiero asked the cover document also include increases beyond the system's control, where the system has saved and is under budget, and where the system is over budget.